Accelerating Time-to-Market

A 60-second crash course on quick thinking for designers: Over the last 14 years, I’ve spent my design career working on product teams with aggressive shipping cycles. This forced me to get competent in making snap-decision trade-offs every day. - In front of investors - In product meetings - In design critiques - In Figma I tried a few lofty frameworks to improve my speed. But it was a simpler 3-question operation that made me fast on my feet. When faced with a decision, I ask myself these questions, in this order: 1. What bet is the company making? 2. What design bets can support the company bet? 3. What is the weight of available information? It breaks down like this: 1. What bet is the company making? On the macro level, how are we planning to win in the market? There are four categories of macro-level bets: - Velocity: We win by getting our offerring to market faster - Efficiency: We win by managing our waste better - Accuracy: We win by being right more often - Innovation: We win by discovering untapped market potential Which category best describes your company's current position? 2. What design bets can support the company bet? - For Velocity: Reduce time-to-delivery, reuse existing components, find metaphors in other markets. "I’m going to use an existing pattern from Google’s design system because it will be easy to design, easy for our engineers to implement, and familiar to our users.” - For Efficiency: Creating design systems, reusing existing patterns, reducing work-in-progress. "I'm going to use the existing data table in our other workflow because it's already available and it will save us time while keeping things uniform." - For Accuracy: Stronger research, measuring product performance with instrumentation, discovery sprints. "I'm going to enlist a customer working group to collect feedback on our upcoming prototypes to make sure we're heading in the right direction." - For Innovation: Uncovering “fog of war” with better discovery, finding parallels for good patterns in other markets. “I’m going to invest extra time in creating a new video scrolling pattern because our market is saturated and this is a competitive way to differentiate on a core job-to-be-done." 3. What is the weight of available information? I use a linear process for weighing information in time-sensitive scenarios. It goes like this: User research > Customer familiarity > Institutional knowledge. In the absense of user research, rely on what our customers are familiar with. If we don't know they're familair with, rely on best practices (or strong opinions, loosely held). That's it. It takes some practice, but once you cycle through this 3-step process a few times, it gets significantly easier to make snap-decisions in real-time. This is the fastest way I know how to get intentional on the fly.

Our AI workflows just helped a 25-year-old retailer with 10,000+ SKUs drive a 13% lift in PDP conversion rates. Here's the story: Calendars.com, an e-commerce player since 1999, came to us after hitting the limits of existing tools. They needed to: ⇒ Process 10,000+ SKUs annually ⇒ Extract data from product images ⇒ Generate on-brand content at scale ⇒ Improve conversion rates ⇒ Do it all without expanding headcount Before AirOps, they were stuck relying on: ❌ Poor manufacturer descriptions ❌ Tools like Jasper that still required heavy manual editing ❌ Slow, error-prone workflows that made scaling content a grind Slower launches and missed growth opportunities. At 5 mins per SKU x 10,000 products = 833 hours of manual work. And we haven't even talked about SEO optimization yet. Here’s how they solved it: Using AirOps, they built AI-powered workflows that could not just write content but actually pull specs from product images, format for their CMS, add dynamic interlinking, and optimize for both search and conversion. The results are pretty wild: In their initial test across 2,550 products, they saw a 13% lift in product page conversion. Their President even said: "These numbers are crazy!" 🚀 400% faster time-to-launch for new SKUs. 🔰10,000+ listings optimized annually with higher-quality content. 🕔 2+ full-time employees’ worth of time saved every year. This 13% lift came during their off-season. They're running their first holiday season with AirOps managing their full 10,000+ SKU catalog. Think about that ROI: Better conversion rates + faster time to market + lower operational costs, all while improving content quality. The "quality vs. scale" tradeoff in e-commerce content is no longer valid. The right systems can deliver both. The tools exist to automate and scale this process. What would a 13% lift in product page conversion mean for your business?

Leading companies are using AI agents to compress sales cycles by 50-80%. Processes that took weeks are happening in days or hours. Here's what's actually happening in the market right now: **Traditional Sales Timeline:** Week 1-2: Discovery and qualification Week 3-4: Stakeholder mapping Week 5-8: Solution development Week 9-10: Proposal and negotiation Week 11-12: Contract and close **AI-Accelerated Timeline:** Day 1-2: Complete qualification and stakeholder analysis Day 3-4: Deliver personalized solution Day 5-7: Align all stakeholders Day 8-9: Close and begin implementation The difference isn't effort. It's architecture. **The AI Sales Architecture:** **Foundation: Deal Intelligence Layer** AI agents continuously analyze: • 50+ data points per account in real-time • Stakeholder movements across all digital channels • Competitive activity and market shifts • Buying signals from multiple sources Traditional teams check CRM notes. AI teams know everything. **Acceleration Layer: Parallel Processing** While traditional reps work sequentially, AI enables parallel execution: • Stakeholder research happens during discovery • ROI modeling runs while qualifying • Contract prep begins during first demo • Implementation planning starts at proposal Every stage overlaps. Nothing waits. **Execution Layer: Instant Personalization** AI agents create: • Custom demos with prospect's actual data (2 hours vs 2 weeks) • Industry-specific ROI calculators (30 minutes vs 3 days) • Personalized follow-ups for each stakeholder (instant vs manual) • Dynamic battle cards updated in real-time (always current vs quarterly updates) **Results Layer: Compound Advantages** Speed creates its own momentum: • Faster response = higher engagement (73% vs 23%) • Shorter cycles = less competition (often sole source) • Quick wins = larger deals (urgency drives budget) • Rapid implementation = faster expansion **The Math of Speed:** Traditional approach: • 4 deals per rep per quarter • 24% average win rate • 84-day average cycle • Result: 1 closed deal per quarter AI-accelerated approach: • 12 opportunities per rep per quarter • 61% win rate with speed advantage • 23-day average cycle • Result: 7 closed deals per quarter **Building Your Engine:** Step 1: Audit your current timeline Step 2: Deploy parallel AI agents • Qualification Agent (runs 24/7) • Research Agent (never stops learning) • Personalization Agent (creates while you sleep) • Acceleration Agent (removes all friction) Step 3: Compress sequential into simultaneous Stop thinking steps. Start thinking streams. Step 4: Measure speed as a KPI Track "time to value" not just "time to close" The question isn't whether to accelerate. It's whether you'll accelerate fast enough.

How can architecture improve time-to-market? In today's architecture landscape, speed is king. While IT costs were once the primary concern, now the biggest pain point is often the slow pace of delivery. Getting products to market quickly is critical for topline growth, far outweighing minor budget cuts. Our analysis of over 300 companies revealed a striking correlation: strong Enterprise Architecture contribution to Business/IT alignment is a key driver of reduced time-to-market. (Chi² p<0.01). The details are in the article below. Development time is often a small piece of the puzzle. The real bottleneck is around alignment. Steering committee approvals, waiting for stakeholders, and coordinating meetings can stretch days into months. So, how can we as architects make a difference? Create Transparency: Shine a light on the actual delays using real examples, not theoretical processes. Establish "Mission Control" Ownership: Build a cross-functional team with end-to-end accountability, including Enterprise Architecture, Portfolio Management, HR, and Finance. Align Structures: Match system, team, and decision-making structures for rapid decision-making. Empower teams with full ownership and decision-making capabilities. Architecture isn't just about diagrams and technology; it's about enabling speed and agility. By breaking down silos and fostering cross-functional collaboration, we can transform time-to-market and create a more dynamic and engaging work environment. #EnterpriseArchitecture #TimeToMarket #BusinessITAlignment #Agile #DigitalTransformation #Innovation #Architecture #Leadership #ITStrategy #BusinessStrategy #ProjectManagement

The automotive industry faces a critical challenge: keeping pace with China's rapid product development. A recent report from CoLab highlights the stark contrast in timelines, with Chinese OEMs bringing new vehicles to market in ~120 weeks vs. 200-216 weeks for US/European counterparts. To compete, traditional automakers must dramatically accelerate design cycles. CoLab advocates for engineering-led supplier co-design, leveraging digital tools for collaborative reviews during RFQs, not after an approach they advocate could slash lead times by 30-50%, double design cycle speed, and reduce BOM costs by up to 50%. At Intel we are living this experience with our customers in China, and that is why we are advocating for a "whole vehicle" approach that integrates three key elements: software defined in-cabin compute, intelligent energy management and data-center-like workload management. By looking at the entire vehicle rather than just individual sockets, automakers can embrace a lower cost and more agile architecture that will significantly help speed up their vehicle programs. The message is clear: innovate faster, collaborate earlier, or risk falling behind. #automotive #innovation #AI https://lnkd.in/gt64Mzdd

Growth stunted? New products slow to market? People frustrated? We come back to our jobs for the fall, and CEOs just wish things could be faster, smoother, more effective. Classic things are reorganizations. Or culture initiatives. Or new strategy decks. But these are slow, and they rarely fix the core problem. Inside most companies, friction rules. Top management gets frustrated that people do not execute or think entrepreneurially. Middle managers and specialists are frustrated by unclear priorities, by calls to go faster while they wait for approvals, and by hard stops when they act without them. The result is the same: ideas die in the gap between ambition and execution. The fastest lever today is not another reorg or culture push. It is refining the Go To Market process. Why? Because process cuts through politics. It makes the debate less personal and more productive. Instead of finger pointing, you ask: How are decisions supposed to run? Which facts and evidence matter at each stage? Who has the mandate, and when? GTM is where strategy meets reality. Get it right, and you get clarity, speed, and growth without tearing your company apart in yet another cycle of reorgs and culture slogans. We have spent time assessing 25 years of learnings of GTM processes and compiled the best of it into one hybrid framework. Step by step, ask the right questions, get the right facts on the table, and take clear decisions, then proceed. For many, it is just what the doctor ordered. Faster to market. Better launches. Happier people. And revenue, of course.

🎯 Target Stores Drastically Increases Their Speed Limit Did you know that most importers take 16–32 weeks to get products from order to delivery? Fast importers, however, do it in just 2–6 weeks. Why does speed matter? It’s all about sales and staying ahead: ⭕ Trend Responsiveness: Quickly respond to or create trends before they pass. ⭕ Accurate Forecasting: Reduce guesswork, reduce waste, and rely on highly accurate data. ⭕ Seizing Opportunities: Meet demand while it’s hot, rather than missing out. 💡 Target’s Strategy According to Rick Gomez, Chief Commercial Officer at Target, the retailer has slashed its go-to-market cycle from 27 weeks to just 8 weeks for certain trending items. At the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, Gomez highlighted how this shift allows Target to: ⭕ Spot trends early, like bows for the holidays or cherries as a design element. ⭕ Respond faster than competitors with an agile operating model. ⭕ Balance affordability, inspiration, and convenience for their customers. Gomez noted, "We’ve got to be obsessed with listening to the consumer and changing the way we work to get things to market faster." Target’s emphasis on speed, affordability, and quality shows how innovation can deliver the “Tar-zhay magic” that shoppers love. 🚀 Key Takeaway: Speed to market is no longer optional—it’s a competitive necessity in retail. Share your thoughts below! 👇 #FastSupplyChain #GlobalSupplyChain #SpeedToMarket #GlobalTrade